[[Edward Kloczko]] observed that the few words mentioned as "Mithrim" fit to the phonological changes and principles seen in Ilkorin: for example Mithrim has ''ô'' where Sindarin has ''au'', and retains final ''-v'' and ''-m'' where Sindarin has final ''-w''; he theorized that Tolkien recycled parts of Ilkorin as Mithrim.<ref>Edward Kloczko, "Ilkorin and North Sindarin", in [[Tyalië Tyelelliéva 9|''Tyalië Tyelelliéva'' #9]], October [[1996]]</ref>

[[Edward Kloczko]] observed that the few words mentioned as "Mithrim" fit to the phonological changes and principles seen in Ilkorin: for example Mithrim has ''ô'' where Sindarin has ''au'', and retains final ''-v'' and ''-m'' where Sindarin has final ''-w''; he theorized that Tolkien recycled parts of Ilkorin as Mithrim.<ref>Edward Kloczko, "Ilkorin and North Sindarin", in [[Tyalië Tyelelliéva 9|''Tyalië Tyelelliéva'' #9]], October [[1996]]</ref>

===The case of cw===

===The case of cw===

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However Sindarin and Mithrim descented from [[Common Telerin]], where the primitive sound ''kw'' (seen in Quenya as ''qu''), was simplified in ''p'' (cf. Quenya ''[[quár]]'' against Telerin ''[[pár]]'' and Sindarin ''[[paur]]'').

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However, Sindarin and Mithrim descended from [[Common Telerin]], where the primitive sound ''kw'' (seen in Quenya as ''qu''), was simplified in ''p'' (cf. Quenya ''[[quár]]'' against Telerin ''[[Pār]]'' and Sindarin ''[[paur]]'').

This setting is part only of the later conception and Ilkorin, which belongs to earlier version, does not reflect this: primitive ''kw'' stays ''cw'' or ''c'' in some Ilkorin words such as ''alch'' ([[LAK|ALÁK<sup>w</sup>Â]]), ''côm'' ([[KWAM|K<sup>w</sup>AM]]), ''cwess'' ([[KWESS|K<sup>w</sup>ESS]]), ''salch'' ([[SALÁK|SALÁK<sup>w</sup>Ê]]) something that would be impossible in a Sindarin dialect.

This setting is part only of the later conception and Ilkorin, which belongs to earlier version, does not reflect this: primitive ''kw'' stays ''cw'' or ''c'' in some Ilkorin words such as ''alch'' ([[LAK|ALÁK<sup>w</sup>Â]]), ''côm'' ([[KWAM|K<sup>w</sup>AM]]), ''cwess'' ([[KWESS|K<sup>w</sup>ESS]]), ''salch'' ([[SALÁK|SALÁK<sup>w</sup>Ê]]) something that would be impossible in a Sindarin dialect.

Contents

History

The Sindar of Beleriand were divided in several groups, and their language had developed some dialects. North Sindarin, the flavour of Sindarin spoken by the Mithrim, the northernmost group of the Sindar, differed from the Sindarin of Beleriand proper in many aspects. It was this language which was adopted by the exiled Noldor after their return to Middle-earth, and by their mortal allies, the House of Beor. During this time North Sindarin was changed much, partially due to the adoption of Quenya features, and partially due to the love of the Noldor for making linguistic changes. Beren's heritage was clear to Thingol of Doriath as he spoke the North Sindarin of his homeland.

North Sindarin retained many features of Archaic Sindarin which had been lost in the Sindarin of Beleriand proper, but also went through several changes of its own: lenition occurred far less in this dialect than in the other dialects.

After the end of the First Age, the survivors of Beleriand's realms generally adopted the more southern variants of Sindarin, but several proper names which are uninterpretable in normal Sindarin which remained in use during the Third Age show North Sindarin influence.

Other versions of the legendarium

In Tolkien's earliest writings, there was a language called Ilkorin, the language of the Ilkorindi (the Dark Elves who stayed in Great Lands). After Tolkien evolved his mythology, the background and setting of the stories changed, and Ilkorin was replaced by Sindarin, the language of the Sindar.

Edward Kloczko observed that the few words mentioned as "Mithrim" fit to the phonological changes and principles seen in Ilkorin: for example Mithrim has ô where Sindarin has au, and retains final -v and -m where Sindarin has final -w; he theorized that Tolkien recycled parts of Ilkorin as Mithrim.[2]

The case of cw

However, Sindarin and Mithrim descended from Common Telerin, where the primitive sound kw (seen in Quenya as qu), was simplified in p (cf. Quenya quár against Telerin Pār and Sindarin paur).

This setting is part only of the later conception and Ilkorin, which belongs to earlier version, does not reflect this: primitive kw stays cw or c in some Ilkorin words such as alch (ALÁKwÂ), côm (KwAM), cwess (KwESS), salch (SALÁKwÊ) something that would be impossible in a Sindarin dialect.

If we are to update Ilkorin to North Sindarin (the way some update Noldorin in Neo-Sindarin), these words would possibly become *alph, *pôm, *pess, *salph.

Context

Another problem with the identification of Ilkorin with North Sindarin is that the Ilkorin words which have survived in the canon as Sindarin, have little to do with the Mithrim.

The Mithrim on the other hand would hardly give names to those locations. There is little room of speculation of why a First Age Mithrimin dialect should reach Ossiriand, or even Rhovanion of the Third Age.

Mithrimin and Doriathrin

The word lómin (cf. Dor-Lómin) was a variant of lómen "echoing", both in Doriathrin[3], another dialect of Tolkien's early legendarium; Doriathrin shows adjectives ending in -in instead of standard Sindarin -en (Dungorthin, muilin).

Tolkien later redefined lómin as a Mithrimin word, as an example of the absence of a-affection in the dialect[4], something which would result in -in endings.